Pies

Likely one of the longest titles ever, this Sweet Potato Pecan Pie with Maple Bourbon Whipped Cream is also known in my household as the Aimee wants Sweet Potato Pie and Brian prefers his beloved Pecan Pie. To ensure a healthy, happy marriage the two pies combine and kick things up a notch with the Maple Bourbon Whipped Cream.

You can totally omit the Bourbon and serve with a Maple Whipped Cream, or you can even omit that, too and just go with a tried and true basic whipped cream.

Combine the mashed sweet potatoes (I bake my sweet potatoes in a 450 degree oven for about 45 minutes, remove the skin and run cubed sweet potatoes through the mixer first before adding the additional ingredients) , sugars, egg, cream, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter in an electric mixing bowl and beat at medium-low speed until smooth and the sweet potato chunks disappear.

Combine all of the pecan pie filling ingredients.

To assemble the pie: Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the pie crust. Fill the remainder of the pie crust with the pecan filling. **you may have a bit of pecan pie mixture leftover. Do not overfill!

Bake for 1½ hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean.

Allow the pie to sit at room temperature for 24 hours before serving.

When ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream:

Combine the cream, vanilla, maple and bourbon in a large mixing bowl and whip until soft peaks form. For best results, chill your mixing bowl prior to using.

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And speaking of options, you can also used canned sweet potato filling in lieu of homemade mashed sweet potatoes. I opted for baking my potatoes because ever since I read an article about pumpkin puree actually being made from squash, I’m going through a “I don’t trust what’s in the can” phase.

I will go ahead and warn you, however that if you are baking your sweet potatoes you need to file this pie in your “takes forever but totally worth it” category.

45 mins or so to bake the potatoes.

An hour and a half to bake the pie.

Pie needs to rest overnight.

But trust me when I say that if you’re looking for a Thanksgiving, everyone will love it, will they notice if I have a second piece of pie, pie….this ONE is it.

And because you might be wondering where my pretty little red pie dish came from, it’s from Wayfair. For the past two years they’ve sponsored a Battle of the Pies contest and I’ve been lucky enough to participate each time. Ironically, each year I’ve submitted something with sweet potatoes. Ha!

The husband deemed this Sweet Potato Pecan Pie with Maple Bourbon Whipped Cream his very favorite of anything I’ve made, but he often says that so I don’t trust it. I do, however, trust my cute little neighbor who said she didn’t like sweet potatoes but liked my Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. So, there’s that.

And if you’re still not convinced to add the pecan pie to your sweet potato and ONLY want a sweet potato, check out THIS pie from last year’s Battle of the Pies with Wayfair.

Have a great weekend! I’m going to recap my trip to Miami to see Adele (and Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton all in the same day) next week with a ton of pumpkin recipes! I’ve got like 4 ready to roll that I’ve just been lagging behind on posting.

Next week is catch up time!

Oh! And be sure to check out Instagram this weekend. I’ll be sharing my Trunk or Treat tomorrow and it’s super cute.

Don’t sound the alarms. I am not using you as my guinea pig for a future food poetry endeavor. I promise we’re really going to talk about the Buttermilk Crust Tomato Pie, but somehow, I got a little carried away playing a little game of rhyme time.

And then it got me thinking….while I don’t necessarily think I should pitch a new cookbook with rhymes corresponding with the recipes, I do think I myself would enjoy reading a cookbook of rhyming recipes or funny songs.

Biscuits, biscuits, biscuits with jelly,

add butter or jam, just get in my belly.

So light, so fluffy, so incredibly good,

if allowed seconds, you definitely should!

Ok, I’ll stop. But just know if you give me a topic, any topic at all, I can make you a rhyme or sing you a song. Ask my husband. I dance around the house singing songs to the dogs all. day. long.

This pie came from my grandmother’s recipe box and is no less than 50+ years old. I needed a recipe that would work for a light lunch, brunch type scenario and she recommended her favorite “tomata pie”.

When I heard her say it I thought it sounded terrible. Tomatoes??? But she insisted that it’s light and refreshing and perfect for brunch on the back porch.

So I gave it a whirl.

I braced myself for some naysers and was fully prepared to blame my grandmother and her misadvise, when low and behold everyone raved about the darn pie.

For the crust: Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add the buttermilk, until a dough ball comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half; shape into 2 disks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to cover a 9 inch pie plate. Bake the crust at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, add the seasonings to the onions. Layer the tomatoes with the onion mixture on top. Combine mayonnaise and cheese and spread evenly over the tomatoes extending to the edge of the crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

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A couple of notes here, though.

You’ll see that I have red tomatoes photographed, but I’m using green tomatoes in the recipe. I did this on purpose. Because green tomatoes are a bit more firm, I used them to get the pie from turning into a soggy mess. Doing so will give your pie a bit more of a tart taste, however. I used the small red tomatoes for the photograph, because, well, red is prettier than green and I liked their petite size.

Purely aesthetics.

You can use either, just be sure to salt and drain your red tomatoes if you end up using those. Red or green, you’ll want to remove the seeds as well.

You guys, it’s a little crazy that today’s Chocolate Chip Almond Pie brings us to number 30 of the 52 Pies Project. Thirty pies!!! No wonder my clothes don’t fit.

I’ve gotten better about getting them photographed and getting them out of my house, but sometimes, I take a bite of one of the pie slices, you know for quality control, and it’s soooo so good that half the pie ends up staying at my house. This means that only half a pie departs from my tightly gripped little fingers.

It’s a sad situation.

Also? It’s very hard to give away pies during the month of January. People are deeply involved in their New Year’s resolutions and here I come, with a pie in hand, trying to get them hop off the resolution band wagon with me. You’ll notice I didn’t do a pie a week in January for precisely that reason. I know my willpower and know that I can’t have a pie a week in my house.

I have also found that most people are willing to splurge for Mardi Gras!

Then, I made another exception with this Chocolate Chip Almond Pie. This week is my birthday week and while I still don’t need to be consuming an entire pie, I’m going to celebrate all week long. Starting with this pie.

This Chocolate Chip Almond Pie is a deviation from an old Southern pie recipe found in a little cookbook called Miss Daisy’s.

It’s a wonderfully easy, rich and delicious chocolately pie to appease your chocolate cravings. And….if you have leftover chocolate from Valentine’s Day, it’s a perfect use for melting down some of those chocolate bars rather than just consuming them one after one!

Melt the chocolate bars and marshmallows in milk in top of double boiler. Cool. Fold in the whipped cream and chocolate chips. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust. Sprinkle a small handful of chocolate chips onto the pie, garnish the top of the pie with the slivered almonds and a heap of roughly chopped hershey bar pieces. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve chilled.

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The combination of the graham cracker crust combined with the creamy chocolately goodness reminds me a bit of a chocolate silk pie. So, so good!!

It’s a bit rich though, so consider serving alongside some ice cold milk, or with a scoop of ice cream.

This year Mardi Gras is falling ridiculously early. Maybe I’ve just been so busy with other things but every time I see friends all decked out in their Mardi Gras ball gowns, I think “crap, it’s almost over and I haven’t even decorated my porch”. Sigh. While I have given up on my porch, I have NOT given up on trying out a Mardi Gras King Cake Pie.

While fitting for the 52 Pies Project, this pie is not entirely of my own creation. I saw a post in the food section of Nola.com for a King Cake Pie sometime last year and thought it was interesting, but never made time to actually recreate it.

I changed up a few things, including using an imitation rum extract rather than actual dark rum so you’ll notice that the coloring of my pie differs greatly. My pie is also non-alcoholic and I think the rum flavoring is a bit more subtle. Same goes for my pie crust, I used a pie shield to keep from getting such a dark crust. I also increased the spices, too.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese with sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add eggs one at a time, then add in the heavy cream, rum, and lemon juice. Stir until well combined.

Pour filling into cooled, pre-baked pie shell. Using a pie shield to keep the edges from over-browning, bake on middle rack in oven for 40-55 minutes. The pie is done when the edges are set but the center still a bit jiggly. It will continue to firm and set as it cools.

Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours, before adding the sanding sugar in whatever pattern you like.

Note: The pie must be refrigerated for storage, but under refrigeration the sugar may bleed and cause the colors to run. Decorate the pie just before serving or transporting.

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While the flavors are similar to a King Cake, this pie reminds me more of a king cake custard type of pie. The filling is rich and creamy with a hint of rum and lemon, swirled with just enough cinnamon and nutmeg to mimic the traditional filling nestled inside the flaky layers of a traditional King Cake.

Where you can get creative is with the topping!

I printed out a Mardi Gras mask onto card stock and created a template for my pie.

You’ll cut it out the mask, then a second copy with the mask cut out but the surrounding in tact. Basically, a stencil. Sprinkle the sanding sugar around the mask, then put your stencil down and sand the mask. Remove the eyes and sand those. I took a step further and outlined my mask with royal icing but that’s totally optional. I felt it needed a little more definition.

I’m crazy excited about how it turned out! Super easy and oh so festive!!

Speaking of King Cake, I’m taking my first ever culinary class at the Louisiana Culinary Institute this week. Guess what we’re making? King Cake! We’ll be making a traditional Pithivier (French) king cake and a New Orleans style king cake. Be sure to follow along on Instagram, I’ll be sure to share some photos.

I’ve never had a Buttermilk Pie, so the fact that I’m calling this pie the “Best Little Buttermilk Pie” is probably a little far fetched. However, the pie is ridiculously good.

And easy.

I have decided that until I have a better version, I’m going to call this pie the Best Little Buttermilk Pie. When I do find one that’s better? I’ll call it Better than the Best Little Buttermilk Pie. Better than that pie? Best Ever Buttermilk Pie. And even better than that one?

I mainly made this pie because both my husband and I have never had one before. I overhead some ladies chatting at a luncheon I was at a couple of weeks ago about who was making their famed buttermilk pie. I heard “famed” and immediately bounced over to the table, introduced myself, and demanded the recipe to the pie.

Demanded is a bit of a stretch but I did beg a bit.

Today I bring you Mrs. Martha’s Buttermilk Pie. Martha was the name of the lady who graciously offered me her family recipe and Miss Martha, if you’re out there reading this today, thank you for being so kind to lend me your pie recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the sugar and flour. Whisk in the eggs, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the lemon zest and juice. Stir until combined. Pour into an unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle the toasted pecans on top of the pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes using a pie shield or with aluminum foil shielding the edges. Remove when pie is almost set (it shouldn't be extremely jiggly). ***Monitor the pie for over- browning beginning at 30 minutes.

Let cool for at least 1 hour and store in the refrigerator prior to serving.

Garnish with whipped topping.

Note: To toast the chopped pecans, spread them evenly in a shallow baking pan. Bake the pecans in a 350 degree F oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until they're browned, stirring the pecans once or twice during the baking time.

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Now, Mrs. Martha didn’t add pecans to her pie but I chose to do so because the baking of the delicate topping of the pie could potentially stress me out. You can omit the pecans if you’d like, or if you’re allergic, just know that you’ll need to keep an eye on it as it bakes and you may need to add some aluminum foil to shield the pie during the final minutes it’s in the oven if you see that it is browning too quickly.

The top of the pie should be lightly browned.

I also modified the amount of buttermilk a bit because I was worried the pie would taste too, well, buttermilk-y.

Have you ever experienced a buttermilk pie before? I’m pleased to say that this pie tastes nothing like eating straight buttermilk and more like a sweet custard type of pie (thanks sugar and eggs!).

I hope your year is off to a fantastic start! I apologize for being a little absent over the holidays. I have finally wrapped up my new picnic cookbook (details coming soon!) and am easing back into the blogging groove and stepping off the struggle bus.

Do I have a surprise for you today! It’s Monday. It’s time for another pie. Put those things together and what do you get? A Monday Tiramisu Pie kind of day! Trust me. You’re going to want to kick your pecan and pumpkin pies to the curb this holiday season for the Tiramisu Pie with holy freaking amazing chocolate shortbread cookie crust.

Let’s get started, shall we?

It all started with a box of Pepperidge Farm chocolate collection shortbread cookies. Initially, I was just going to eat the cookies because well, um, cookies are for eating. But, they’re also for pie crusts. Just think about the graham cracker crust- it all starts with graham cracker cookies. And this pie? Well, it started with a box of Thin Mint girl scout cookies. It used to be my favorite pie, but now my friends, the Tiramisu Pie has moved to the top.

Crunchy cookie crust with a irresistibly creamy mascarpone filling, topped with a lightly chocolate flavored whipped topping….seriously, can there be anything better? It’s just the right amount of chocolate, too. So if you’re in the mood for a bit of chocolate but a bit of cheesecake-ish pie, this is the pie. I repeat, this. is. the. PIE!!

To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes; set aside to cool.

To prepare filling: In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix and cream. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add mascarpone, beating until well combined. Beat in confectioners’ sugar. Spoon filling into prepared crust and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To prepare topping: In a medium bowl, combine cream and cocoa powder. Beat at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add in the confectioners’ sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread cream mixture over pie filling. Garnish with grated chocolate and a couple of cookies (optional)

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Did you know that the word “Tiramisu” means “pick me up” or “lift me up” probably because traditionally it involves layers and layers of sponge cake, but I feel like this Tiramisu Pie is going to equally say “pick me up and EAT ME”. So, it’s sort of saying the exact same thing.

Please tell me you’ve never had this pie before. If you have, still tell me you’ve never had it so I can continue to think I’m a genius for creating the Italian treat in pie form!

Today’s 52 Pies Project + Sweet Potato S’mores Pie recipe post is extra special because it’s also being entered in the Wayfair Battle of the Pies contest! There are 40 bloggers competing and the competition as you can imagine is pretty stiff. Wondering why I choose a sweet potato pie as my entry?

One potato, two potato, three potato, S’mores!!!

I originally had a different pie in mind but unfortunately (well, fortunately actually) it has made its way into the finals of another pie contest and mum is the word for a bit longer.

Therefore, I needed a pie for this battle. With the holidays fast approaching all I can really think about lately is my beloved sweet potato casserole. It’s honestly my favorite part of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. We always top with it marshmallows and it sort of got my brain thinking….why not make a sweet potato pie with marshmallows, and thus the Sweet Potato S’mores Pie was born.

It’s not really that far of a stretch once you start thinking marshmallows, to then think of s’mores. So let’s get down to the nitty gritty of the pie.

This pie begins with a baked cinnamon graham cracker crust, a layer of chocolate, creamy and rich sweet potato filling, then topped with toasted marshmallows and finished off with chocolate shavings.

In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt until combined. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, firmly press mixture into bottom of the pie plate and slightly up the sides.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate in 30-second intervals until melted, stirring in between each interval. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over cooled crust. Freeze until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

Bake until center is set, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack then refrigerate at least 3 hours. Sprinkle evenly with marshmallows.

Bake at 350° until marshmallows are lightly toasted, approximately 5 minutes. Set the oven to broil for a deeper toast- but watch carefully not to overdo it.

Garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired.

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So, I’m baking this pie and the entire house smells like baked sweet potatoes and my husband declares that he’s never even had sweet potato pie. Never ever? Never. Let me just put this out there right now. If you are acustomed to either a store bought sweet potato pie, or you’ve never had sweet potato pie- having this pie as your first encounter will forever set the bar incredibly high. And I’m not saying that because I’m biased, I’m saying that because my husband ate 2 pieces and then asked if he could have it for breakfast.

I can’t remember a pie that he’s requested for breakfast! Except, for maybe, this pie. However, that quite possibly could’ve been because my foot was broken and the likelihood of me making anything for dinner much less breakfast was sparse.

Do you have a favorite pie recipe you whip out for the holidays? Willing to give this Sweet Potato S’mores Pie a whirl?

Be sure to check out the #WayfairPieBakeoff hashtag on social media to see all the pie posts. It’s the most delicious round up!!!

Disclaimer: This post is being sponsored as part of my affiliation with the Wayfair’s Homemaker Program. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

While I totally get that we should be moving toward Fall flavors, it’s still ridiculously hot and sunny here and I just can’t quit summer…yet. Next week I’m going to make a real, tried and true effort of transitioning into Fall. I’m even going to force myself to bring out the pumpkins. But today, I’m delighting in these Blackberry Pie Bars and spending a few last moments with my coastal looking front porch decor.

Blackberries are about the one thing I can remember my mother baking routinely. We had several bushes that would produce blackberries along the fence line and during their peak season she would hurry out and pick them fresh, then hurry back and bake a pie. Or two. Or ten.

I don’t really like blackberries to be honest. It’s the same issue I have with strawberries. I love the taste, but I do not care for the seedy texture. If you’re a blackberry lover, you’ll want to increase the quantity I’ve used in this recipe, but if you’re like me and just like a faint blackberry taste and a pie bar not overpowered by the fruit…you’re in for a treat!

I remember reading a study about how blackberries contain the most cancer fighting antioxidants of all the berries, but did you know that the berries can be used to color your hair? An English herbalist recommended boiling the blackberry leaves in a lye solution in order to make your hair black. I cannot confirm nor deny this allegation but find it quite interesting!

The Blackberry Pie Bars are quite easy to make and I first made them a few weeks ago when my publishers were in town to sign my book contract. I prepared these little pie bars, swirling a bit of whipped cream to each and garnishing with a tiny sprig of mint….to which they said “oh, are you getting ready for a photo shoot?” and I replied “oh no, those are for you!”. Moral of the story? These pie bars look elegant enough to impress your guests!

Hosting a baby shower? These would be a delicious addition to your festivities. Got someone special coming over for brunch? Make these. Mother’s Day tea party planning? You guessed, these are a pretty little winner.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and lemon zest. Using a pastry blender, incorporate the cubed butter and egg into the dry ingredients until it's crumbly. In another bowl, combine the lemon juice, cornstarch and remaining sugar. Gently toss with blackberries. Pat half of the dough mixture into the pan. Top with blackberries, then crumble over the rest of the dough. Bake until the top is golden brown, approximately 35-40 minutes. Let them cool completely, then place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Cut into small bars and garnish with homemade whipped cream and mint (optional).

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These bars are best served chilled and incredibly delicious with coffee or tea.

I have one more best suited for summertime pie and then I’ll be shifting the pies to Fall. Pinky promise.

Does the end of summer have you singing the blues? Here in the south, we still have a few more months of summer heat and to be honest, the only kind of blues I’ll be singing with the departure of summer is to the tune of this Old Fashioned Blueberry Pie.

The summers here are brutal. You can literally fry an egg on the sidewalk brutal. We have been walking the dogs after 8pm each night, because any earlier and you will melt. Add to that my heart condition that prevents me from overheating (it’s a long story), and 3 dogs on the top of the breed list for heat stroke….and we’ve been hiding indoors a lot!

This Old Fashioned Blueberry Pie is super simple to make and allows fresh blueberries to be the star of the show. It’s the perfect end of summer pie!

Prepare the filling by combining the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and water in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Heat rapidly, stirring occasionally until thickened. Allow to cool, then add the berries and lemon juice.

Pour into the pie crust. Either place the remaining crust on the top, crimping the edges and cutting slits in the center for venting, or use cookie cutters to cut out shapes/words and place over the filling. Sprinkle with the teaspoon of sugar over the top.

Place pie on a baking sheet and into the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, shield the pie edges with a pie shield or aluminum foil to prevent excessive burring and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and blueberries are bubbling. Allow to cool before serving.

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While pies are typically used as desserts, I could see sharing this one at your next brunch. I mean, it’s not much different than offering a blueberry parfait, or a blueberry biscuit. You’re still getting your blueberries.

And just look how cute it looks with letters!

I bought the letters to spell out “Happy”, too. Spell out “I love you” for a special anniversary, “get well” when a friend is ill, “hello” when you just want to drop off a pie to someone and well, say hello.

I think I’ll have to watch myself for worry I’ll become obsessed with pie wording.

I’ve mentioned my relationship with strawberries a time or two, but I’m basically a weirdo who loves the taste of strawberries but can’t eat an actual strawberry because of the texture. I don’t like the seeds either, so I generally almost always puree my strawberries before using them in treats. However, my husband loves strawberries so sometimes I’ll just elect to eat around them, like I did in this delicious pie. This Strawberry Mousse Pretzel Pie, however, is a wonderful little compromise that incorporates the pure essence of summer and the luxurious flavor of strawberry without the seeds.

Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 3 ingredients; firmly press on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of a lightly greased 10-inch pie plate. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven to a wire rack, and cool completely.

Process the strawberries in a food processor until smooth. Strain the strawberries, eliminating the seeds and reserving the puree.

Beat condensed milk, cream cheese and gelatin at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add strawberry puree and beat at low speed just until blended. Transfer to a large bowl.

The marriage of the crushed pretzel crust with the summer sweet strawberries is perfect combination of sweet and salty. It’s also the perfect pie to serve when the heat is unbearable outside and you’re craving an ice cold treat. And other than having to bake the pretzel crust, it requires very little oven time which is always appreciated when it’s 100 degrees outside.

It’s being added to the 52 Pies Project lineup AND it’s one of the first recipes being submitted into the new cookbook!

I can’t wait to share more details soon but for now, meet “Betty”. Betty is my new cruiser bike (if you follow me on Instagram you know that I was on the prowl for a mint green bike to join my neighborhood bike brigade). Essentially, I want to use her to facilitate pie deliveries throughout my hood. Deliver some pies and get some exercise on a pretty little bike. It’s a win win.

We took Betty on the most delicious Southern summer picnic over the long weekend. My grandmother had the most darling gazebo (photos soon) built years and years ago along the Mermentau River where she grew up as a child and it made for a delightful afternoon.

But then I tried to ride Betty along that gorgeous tree lined road and realized when I sat on her in the store, I failed to acknowlege that my feet didn’t touch the ground! Even with the seat as low as it would go I could barely touch with my toe. Short girl problems are real, y’all.

So, Betty had to go back to the store and we’re going to pick up Betsy later this week. Unfortunately, we had to spend some extra smackers to get a bike that allow my feet to rest flatly on the ground.

These cruisers don’t have handle bar brakes, so I just couldn’t get comfortable with the whole dangling feet thing. Stopping was sort of an issue, too!

Anyway, Betsy is just as beautiful and she’s all mint instead mint accents. I’ll share pictures of her later this week and see how she does on a picnic, because that’s the true test……how pretty are you at my picnics and can my feet touch the ground?

Yesterday (Memorial Day) my husband said “with all the pies you’ve been making, I can’t believe today, of all days, you didn’t make a pie!”

To which I replied, “you need to take a peek into the freezer”.

There, inside the freezer was this Brownie Ice Cream Sundae Pie just waiting to set and be served.

Seriously easy. Seriously dreamy. Seriously warm weather perfection.

It really doesn’t deserve a recipe but for consistency sake I’ll include it with the directions.

The “crust” of your pie is a boxed brownie mix and topped with your favorite ice cream (I used Vanilla Bean). Prior to serving you swirl on a little whipped topping, drizzle on some Magic Shell, sprinkle some sprinkles and top with a cherry.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray your springform pan with cooking spray. I used (2) 6 inch round pans and divided the batter in half. Two pies!

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and pour into pan(s).

Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until your center is set and a toothpick pulls out nearly clean. Let cool completely.

Spread softened ice cream over the brownie crust; cover and freeze for at least 2 hours. Gently remove the springform pan from the sides of the pie.

Top with the whipped cream, chocolate, sprinkles and cherries just before serving. Cut into wedge slices to serve.

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We had this pie for a weekend BBQ but I could totally see making it for a special birthday and putting a candle where the cherry is.

It’s a birthday pie I wouldn’t mind receiving.

I do think it’s helpful to notate that you don’t want to use a super creamy ice cream. My ice cream (Edy’s) was melting super quick so you want something with a little bit of substance. I can’t wait until my beloved Blue Bell is back on the shelves!

You won’t want to be on your feet baking or cooking for the duration of your time on crutches or in the boot. They probably don’t tell you this because they probably assume you’ll just know…..that your glorious moments of whipping up pie is limited.

I’d like to say I’m on the mend but who the heck knows? Just when I’m trucking along thinking I’m going to hear some great news, along comes someone to remind me how long their foot took to heal and my orthopedic doctor downgrades (or upgrades? can you call a boot an upgrade since it means no more crutches but another month of immobility?) me to a boot aka air cast.

Downgrade. Upgrade. All I know is that I was needing some banana pudding in my life.

And because I’m behind on my 52 Pies Project, I was needing a pie too.

Banana Pudding meet Pie.

Pie meet Banana Pudding.

Now, ya’ll play nice and become best friends. Banana Pudding Pie friends.

This pie is a deviation from a Southern Living recipe but I have to say that I tried their crust 2 different times (1/2 cup butter and 2 1/2 cups coarsely crushed vanilla wafers) and both times it was a mess. Once it was soooo buttery it never firmed up even after baking. I’m sure it was user error as some of the reviews on the SL site said it was great. Nevertheless, I used way less better and it seemed to work just fine.

And I patted myself on the back that I made something with LESS butter than called for.

I also modified the pudding simply because the banana pudding I grew up with contained condensed milk. Therefore, I say to you, my banana pudding pals, you cannot go wrong with condensed milk.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set aside approx 20-30 vanilla wafers; pulse remaining wafers in a food processor until coarsely crushed. Combine the melted butter with the crushed vanilla wafers until blended. Firmly press into the bottom of a 9 inch pie dish and bake for 10-12 minutes until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Once cooled, arrange the banana slices evenly over the crust.

Prepare the pudding filling by whisking together the sugar, flour, eggs, yolks and milks. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly for 8-10 minutes or until mixture is thick and can hold soft peaks when the whisk is lifted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Spread ⅓ of the pudding over the bananas.

Top with remaining vanilla wafers. Spread more pudding over the wafers, repeating with bananas and wafers and ending with the pudding.

Make the meringue by beating the egg whites on high speed until light and foamy. Add sugar gradually, 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves. Spread the meringue over the pudding filling and pop into the 250 degree oven for 10-12 mins- until golden brown.

Remove form oven and let the pie cool completely. Store refrigerated and served chilled.

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Do you prefer your banana pudding in pudding form, or do you like it in a pie?

Just in time for Easter, today’s pie is easy to make ahead AND it will go with your gingham cocktail napkins. You did make the Burlap Bunny cocktail napkins, didn’t you? There’s still time if you haven’t. Use your pink napkins to serve with your Pink Lemonade Pie and your guests will be impressed with your color coordinating skills. Pinky promise!

52 Pies Project: Pink Lemonade Pie

I found this little gem of a recipe in an old church recipe cookbook from the 80’s. I mainly purchased it while out antique shopping, not because it was super old, but because it contained nearly 400 pages of combined church recipe goodness. It even has little hand written notes on the title page like “310, 4 cup salad”….however, on page 310 there are recipes for an Apple Salad and a One Cup Salad. But underneath that One Cup Salad? Another note! Mandarin oranges scribbled into the ingredients lineup. My thought is that someone loved the One Cup Salad so much they had quadrupled it for a 4 Cup Salad. Don’t you love finding little notes inside old cookbooks? It reminds me of hunting Easter eggs and makes me feel like I’ve found a golden one!

I’m sure you’ve seen similar recipes floating around the internet for a Pink Lemonade Pie, because when a recipe only begins with 3 ingredients there’s not much you can or should do to it.

Just jazz it up with some crushed Oreos in the center along with some pink Cadbury eggs. Let’s face it, Easter isn’t Easter without Cadbury eggs. And let’s pause for a minute and praise Jesus I stuck with eating only the blue and yellows or I would’ve run out of eggs.

I also added just a hint of pale pink sanding sugar. You know, because it’s Easter and enhancing the pink is always top of my agenda.

I’m going to include the recipe, but it goes a little something like this.

I did modify the crust as well. The original recipe says to just crush Oreos and press them into your pie pan. I added some sugar and butter (similar to the way you make a graham cracker crust) just to help it press and mold into the pan better.

There likely won’t be a shortage of pie options anytime soon around these parts. The 52 Pies Project is in full force and the house has never smelled so good!

When I first tossed around the idea of weekly pies my husband remarked “that’s a lot of pies, are you sure you can come up with that many pies” to which I said “of course, it’s pie- think of all the options. Lemon, Strawberry, Blueberry, Pecan, Chocolate, Chocolate with pecan!…..”. He cut me off right as I was getting warmed up but I made my point that while challenging, I was ready to tackle the pies.

And as if I needed further inspiration, I was asked to recreate one of the recipes from our River Road Recipes cookbooks for the next Junior League newsletter. While flipping through the books and with Spring on the horizon, I choose a pie that reflects all the wonderful things about the return of the upcoming season; family picnics, bbqs, crawfish boils, etc. And of course, I decided to roll it into the pie project. Make the pie, photograph the pie, submit the pie, bring the pie to a meeting to eat.

No brainer.

52 Pies Project: Lemon Cream Pie

I deviated a little bit from the original recipe but not much. I skipped the lemon twists and instead created a little lemon flower to illustrate how easy it is to take an heirloom recipe and make it unique and your own. Simply slice a lemon slice into 3 triangles and use a stem of mint as the flower. Easy peasey.

Doesn’t this pie say Hello, Spring? I could see it gracing wedding shower tables and how adorable would it be at a gender neutral baby shower?

Combine the sugar, cornstarch and lemon zest in a saucepan and mix well. Stir in the milk, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in the margarine until blended. Let stand until room temperature.

Add the sour cream to the lemon mixture and mix well. Spoon into the pie shell and spread the whipped cream, sealing to the edge. Top with the lemon twists. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

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Now, the recipe as written simply says to use “1 baked (9 inch) pie shell” but it doesn’t really clarify what type of shell. I took it to mean it was a graham cracker shell, because, well, I like a graham cracker crust with my lemon pie. I didn’t have a pre made shell, so I used the recipe on the side of the graham cracker box, pressed it into my pie dish and baked it.

And if you want to really be fancy, then top each individual slice with a lemon slice. You know…how they do it at Picadilly.

Add a little sprig of mint and you can’t tell me you would pass on a slice of Lemon Cream Pie.

Have you ever wondered why a Grasshopper Pie was called a Grasshopper Pie? I did a little research because I like to know why things are called the things they are called. It has no grasshoppers in it and it doesn’t really resemble a grasshopper, so what’s with the name? Unless you’ve heard of a Grasshopper Cocktail, then perhaps you were confused as to where the pie originated from, too?

Some say that it gets its name from its coloring, but I’m 99.9% sure that it’s because it’s practically the same ingredients in the cocktail.

Maybe you don’t really care about the name at all and you are more concerned that I’ve made you a pie that is St. Patrick’s Day party ready and contains Thin Mint cookies. Or perhaps you’re just happy that I made you the matching cocktail as well.

Melt marshmallows in milk over medium heat in a small saucepan and let cool. Add creme de menthe and creme de cacao. In a chilled mixing bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form; fold into marshmallow mixture and set aside.

Crumble the wafer crust and combine with the cookie crumbs and butter. Set aside about ¼ cup of cookie crumbs. Press remaining crumbs into a 9 inch pie pan. Add the pie mixture to the crust and pop into the freezer for about 2 hours. Allow to thaw on the countertop for about 10 minutes prior to serving, sprinkle the edges of the pie with the remaining cookie crumbs. Serve chilled.

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I have a little vintage cookbook named Miss Daisy’s after the Miss Daisy’s tearoom in Nashville, TN. Published in 1978 the instructions are very to the point. In fact this recipe simply said “melt marshmallows in milk. Let cool. Add creme de menthe. Whip cream and fold into mixture”.

That’s it. The end. Nothing more to see here.

I altered the ingredients slightly, added some clear creme de cacao (because it was going in the grasshopper cocktails and I already had it on hand) and switched out the chocolate crust for one made with Girl Scout Thin Mints because well, um, does that need an explanation? Now, I know what you’re thinking- you’re thinking you don’t want to waste an entire box of Thin Mints on a pie crust. I get it. So here’s how we fake it. Purchase a pre-made chocolate pie crust. Remove it from the package and put it into a zip lock bag, add 1 sleeve of your Thin Mint and crumble and combine well.

There. I saved you some Thin Mints but you still get a hint of mint in the crust.

I also made the instructions a little clearer for you. I mean, hello- they don’t even say to chill the darn pie. You want the pie chilled and if you don’t pop it into the freezer for a bit, it’s not going to slice very pretty.

Using a mint flavored chocolate cookie with a mint based pie is pure heaven for those loving the flavor combination of chocolate + mint. I’m one of those people for sure.

The Grasshopper cocktail, from which the Grasshopper Pie gets its name, dates back to the 1950’s when it was a popular after dinner drink originating in New Orleans (don’t all cocktails get their humble beginnings in New Orleans?). They are super easy to make, too. I’ve seen them made with cream for a traditional Grasshopper, with vodka for a Flying Grasshopper with kahlua for a Dirty Grasshopper, and cinnamon and milk for a Dead Grasshopper. No thank you, nothing with the words “dead” + “grasshopper”.

Here’s how to make them with ice cream, simply referred to as a Frozen Grasshopper.

Place cookie crumbs in a small bowl or shallow plate. Depending on the size of the glass you're using, I used a ramekin. Smooth out the crumbs to make an even top surface. In another ramekin, add a small scoop of ice cream.

Take the rim of the glass you're serving the cocktail in and place on top of the ice cream to moisten, adding slight pressure and twisting. Now take your glass and place it into the cookie crumbs covering your ice cream. Set aside right side up.

Making your cocktail:

Pour creme de menthe, creme de cacao, and ice cream into a blender and blend until thick and creamy. Carefully pour into cookie rimmed cocktail glass; try not to mess up your cookie rimming!

Garnish with a sprig of mint (optional)

Makes (1) 12 ounce serving.

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The Grasshopper cocktail is perfect if you want a little something minty after dinner and wish to forgo the pie. Or heck, have both…I’m not judging.

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

I love festive and colorful food, but have a thing about not overdoing it with green food coloring. To be honest, I have a weird relationship with food coloring in general. I think I must be scarred from colored mouth syndrome when someone got too carried away with it and therefore use it sparingly.

Today’s Chocolate Crust Nutella Tartlets brings you more individually served pies. I’m quickly learning throughout this pie project that I’m quite a fan of the single serve pies!

Hopefully, I can get in the habit of regular sized pies but these little guys are so darn cute to make that I’m making no promises. They make sharing so very easy. No need in worrying how you’re going to cut a perfect slice of pie let alone transport it, these little mini pies just plop themselves into a little to go box and make a great little happy gift.

The beauty of these Chocolate Crust Nutella Tartlets is you can totally substitute the nutella for just about anything. In the mood for peanut butter? Use it! Would rather almond butter? That’ll work, too!

The idea to top the tartlets with banana and graham crackers came as an afterthought, but when I was thinking of what on earth I wanted to make for this week’s pie I thought about what our Kids in the Kitchen committee last year served for afternoon snacks.

A graham cracker, slather of Nutella, topped with a banana slice.

And then thought, well, why not turn that into a pie?

I chose a chocolate crust because I like the flavor combination of chocolate and hazelnut, but you could tone down the chocolate if you wanted with a regular sweet crust.

Prepare the tartlet crust by combining the flour, cocoa, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into into the flour mixture until it resembles damp sand. Make sure no remaining clumps are larger than a pea size. Beat the egg yolk with the cold water and slowly pour over the flour, stirring just until moistened. Form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Unwrap the dough, and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Using a round cutter, cut out circles and gently press into a tartlet pan with removable bottoms. My circles are about 5 inches (and the cutter came with the pan). Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the crust has darkened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

On high speed with an electric mixer, cream the nutella, cream cheese and butter. Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. Stir in the vanilla. In a separate chilled mixing bowl, beat the whipped cream until soft peaks begin to form. Fold the cream into the nutella mixture. Once combined, pour into the cooled pie shells, cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 2 hours.

To make the chocolate ganache, heat the remaining whipping cream in a small saucepan- to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate bits in a heatproof bowl. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and completely incorporated. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Spread the ganache over the nutella tartlets and return to the refrigerator to cool for another 2 hours- or until the ganache sets. Top with a banana slice and crushed graham crackers.

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Topped with chocolate ganache and adorned with banana and graham crackers…..you guys.

Insanity.

What’s with the candle?

Oh, it’s just my birthday and I’m having pie for breakfast.

Did you miss my pie song on Instagram?

It’s my birthday, and I’ll pie if I want to,

pie if I want to,

you would pie too if Nutella happened to you.

do do do do do

The aging process is NOT my favorite, but I’m fortunate to have a husband that makes birthdays fun and I have pie.

These Heart Shaped Honey Apple Hand Pies are JUST what you need to win cupid over.

They are also the result of me not paying attention in my most recent webinar class. I had begun their preparation and there I was, sitting on my computer listening to some really fabulous food bloggers toss around ideas for e-books, healthy snacking, something about hydroponics and then probiotics- have you heard how hot paleo is? And while these are all great things they were discussing, I’m ashamed to say all I was hearing was waaaah waaaaah- you know like on cartoons when someone isn’t paying attention.

All I could think about was getting the apples that had been simmering in the sugared honey into the heart cut outs and then……into the frying pan. Because while I most certainly could’ve baked these little suckers and been a tad bit healthier, my fried and sweet tooth loving heart was saying “Fry me, Valentine. Fry me.”.

So I did and oh, boy were they were it!!!

Flakey on the outside, moist and sweetness on the inside it’s a couple of bites of pure Heaven.

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until apples are tender- depending on size, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cool completely and drain.

Using a heart shape cookie cutter, roll out your pie crust and cut out your heart. Place about 1½ tablespoon of filling into the center of the heart. Be sure to leave plenty of space along the edges so the filling doesn't ooze.

Heat enough vegetable oil to cover the heart pies in a medium size dutch oven, or an electric deep fryer. Carefully place the pies into the hot oil and remove once golden. This will go quick! Only about 5-10 seconds.

Drain on paper towels. Using a sifter, sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top.

Serve warm!

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Now, if you’d like to bake these guys, do so at an oven temperature at 425 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

You’re still going to sprinkle with confectioners sugar, so don’t skip that step.

Because, um. Yum.

So stinkin’ good.

Are you cooking up anything special for Valentine’s Day? Or do you just get a card and candy and call it a day?

I hinted last week that I was getting ready to embark on a pie project. I’ve been smitten with the lady behind The World Needs More Pie for quite some time. And by smitten, I mean I have to refrain from hopping in my car and driving all the way to Iowa to bake a pie with her. And play in her apron collection because I imagine it’s as equally wonderful as her pies.

Then last week, while thumbing through my Taste of Home magazine I learned of Vicki from Half Baked Retirement whose retirement goal is to bake a pie everyday and give it away. BAKE A PIE EVERYDAY. I admire her ambition but I can’t even wrap my head around daily pies. But Vicki? She is cranking out the pies. I think she’s on like day 200 and something.

Beyond admiring Vicki’s enthusiasm for pie baking, I was also taken by her guidelines she established for herself:

1. Find a new pie recipient everyday. No repeats. At least some must be strangers.
2. Try to use fresh, local ingredients, when possible
3. Try to bake and give a pie away everyday.
4. Bake pies that please the recipient.

The thought of baking pies for complete strangers melted me and if I lived in Vicki’s town, I’d bake a pie for her and tell her so. I can’t tell you how often I wish I was doing more, making more of a difference, taking honest strides to increase the happiness in someone else’s life. We live in a very, very selfish world and I hate that I often fall victim to my surroundings and don’t appreciate my blessings enough. Sure I volunteer from time to time for church baking activities or community bake sales, but a full-on-baking routinely-for-others project? Selfishly, I hadn’t gotten around to doing anything of the sort.

Also? I can’t tell you how badly I am at making pie crust.

But if I told you that the decision to jump in on the pie project was entirely selfless, I’d be fibbing. I’m doing it partially because I think it’s an admirable thing to do and I do believe that I will find great satisfaction in delivering happiness in the form of baked goods, but to be fair, I’m also doing it because I think it’s a way of pushing myself personally to master something that makes me fret.

That darn pie crust.

Now, I won’t be doing daily pies. Oh, no, no, no. I accept my limitations and know that I would be setting myself up for failure trying to join the ranks of the Vicki’s in the world. For me, I’m committing to weekly pies hence the 52 Pies Project.

There are 52 weeks in a year therefore I’ll bake 52 pies.

I searched and searched Instagram for a hashtag that wasn’t already taken. PieProject. ThePieProject. WeeklySlice. EatMorePie.

I know. It’s a doozy to start off with, but since I wasn’t gifting this pie (I need to practice a couple of times before I go galavanting across town dropping off the goods) I elected to use my cast iron wedge typically reserved for corn bread.

Using a refrigerated pie crust, roll out onto a floured surface smoothing out the rolled edges. Cut the dough into equal triangles equivalent to your wedge pan. My pan is a 9inch and will need 8 triangles. Press the triangles into the wedge pan, and up the sides- making a little boat for the pecan filing.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, slat and cinnamon until well blended. Stir in chopped pecans. Slowly pour the batter into each of the wedges. Sprinkle about 1½ tbsp of mini chocolate chip morsels on top of the filling.

Bake approximately 30 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown and the centers are set. Allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes.

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As with any Pecan Pie, it’s delicious as dessert, an afternoon snack, or heck…have it for breakfast with a cold glass of milk.

I did. Yum.

I also had it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

And then I quickly realized that these pies will HAVE to be gifted otherwise I will put on even MORE weight than I already have this past year.

So, just a few more pies for practice and then we’re off to the races, er….delivery route.

I did however, wrap up a couple of slices for some friends I knew wouldn’t be overly critical.

And you guys, can I tell you how excited I am about packaging these things? I’m on a mission to make them cute.

Packaging is my love language.

It just is.

There’s a new menu category at the top of the website for the pie project and each week, I’ll add the pie of the week to the drop down so if you ever want to come scroll through the 50+ pies, it’ll be user friendly. There’s also a sign up on the right hand sidebar where you can sign up for the pies via email. And next week sometime there will be a fun little graphic to go along with the weekly slice emails, but for now, it’s just the generic sign up.

Have anyone in mind you’d like to nominate for a pie? I’m going to quickly run out of friends, family and neighbors and will need ideas. Otherwise, I’m going to be the weird girl sitting outside of Target asking strangers if they’d like some pie.

There’s a little place in New Orleans named Clancy’s that serves up the most delicious Lemon Ice Box Pie. Known for its preservation of Creole tradition, Clancy’s is among the many award-winning New Orleans fine dining establishments.

Lucky for you, you don’t have to travel to the deep, deep, South to enjoy their Lemon Ice Box Pie.

I’ve got the recipe!

And you’re not going to believe how easy something this delicious could be.

I added the whipped topping. Because I mean, it looked like it wanted some.

And can you go wrong with homemade whipped cream?

Nope. Didn’t think so.

Ice Box Pies are the epitome of Southern Summertime treats and they while they are most delicious after a long day in the sweltering heat, they’re pretty darn enjoyable in any type of climate.

Served frozen (it begins melting and softening pretty quickly) you’ll be back for seconds.

I can think of nothing better to celebrate National Pecan Day than these Bite Sized Pecan Pies.

They’re large enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, but small enough not to completely wreck your waistline.

And besides, pecans are good for you and I’m just trying to make sure you get your daily allotment of nuts.

Created with a refrigerated pie crust, you can whip up a dozen of these babies in no time.

And because they’re individually sized, they make a perfect addition to baby showers, bridal lunches and tea parties.

Really, anytime you need a perfectly presented bite sized snack that is both elegant and delicious.

To cut out the crust, I used a scalloped edge ice cream dish as my guide. I knew I was using a jumbo cupcake pan and the size was perfect. You just want to make sure whatever pan you use, your pie crust circle completely covers your cupcake hole.

Roll out your pre-made pie crust. Using either a glass with a mouth larger than the opening of your muffin pan, cut out an oversized circle and press lightly into your pan. I used a scalloped ice cream dish as my guide and extended the scallops to fit in my pan.

Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

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Hi, I'm Aimee. Southern born and raised, a self proclaimed accidental entrepreneur with a penchant for porches and sweet hospitality. I'm a two time cookbook author, recipe developer and award winning cookie creator making my home in the deep South with husband, Brian and a gaggle of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. WELCOME to my online front porch, please enjoy your stay.